New research concludes that acupuncture “may improve knee pain and function.” The research notes that, “All the studies using non-placebo controls showed statistically significant improvement in knee pain and function for the acupuncture group.” The research reviewed 60 studies from which 13 met the inclusion criteria of a randomized controlled study. Four major groups were investigated. Group one examined post-operative knee pain.
The second group looked at the effects of acupuncture on non-placebo controls and the third group examined non-penetrating placebos. A fourth group included penetrating placebos. Much of the public interest in acupuncture for the treatment of knee pain and dysfunction began with NIH (National Institutes of Health) research into the subject. A report of the study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine specifically states that acupuncture is an effective treatment for osteoarthritis of the knees.
Reference:
1. The effect of acupuncture (vs. different types of controls) on knee pain—a literature review. Can evidence-based medicine help us to understand the mechanism of acupuncture better? S. Parekh., University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, UK. QJM (2012). Oxford Journals. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hcs021
2. Berman BM, Lao L, Langenberg P, et al. Effectiveness of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy in osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, controlled trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2004;141(12):901–910.
